Final Blog Post: My Relationship With Technology

    Personally, I do not feel like my relationship with technology is healthy, but I do feel like it is improving. I will spend hours each day on social media scrolling through seeing information that holds no benefit for me. Sometimes I end up doing this to procrastinate other tasks or assignments I have to get done that day. Because of this, I feel like I spend too much time using technology, especially social media. When looking at the screen time recorded by my iPhone, it shows that I spend about 6 hours each day on my phone, which can total to around 42 hours (minimum) on my phone each week. I spend about 2 and a half hours on TikTok, 30 minutes on Snapchat, 30 minutes on Instagram, and just about 5 minutes on Facebook everyday. The rest of the time spent on my phone will be focused mainly on texting, listening to music, using Google or Safari, using the photos app, or checking my emails. According to Tech Jury, it has been stated that "an average user spends 2 hours and 31 minutes daily on social media," (Georgiev). With this information shared, it is another reason that makes me believe I need to reduce the amount of time I spend on my phone because I spend around two times the amount of time on social media compared to the average person. But, I also have an Apple Watch, laptop, and iPad that I will use throughout the day that adds to the amount of time I use technology each day. My laptop and iPad are mainly used for schoolwork and my Apple Watch is used for logging workouts regularly. 

    When I spend time on my phone I believe that the information I look at on a daily basis does not make me smarter and I believe that what I see is content that provides me with useless information. But, the time I spend on my laptop and iPad is where I feel like I am being provided with information that can make me smarter. But, that is only because I am using these devices for different purposes. I believe that most of the time what we see on the internet is misleading information. For example, I have watched TikToks that go into details about a specific diet or health trend. In these videos, the people that are spreading these messages are not nutritionists, doctors, or people working in the health industry. Even if the information they are spreading is false (especially when they don't know much information about the topic), people tend to believe these influencers because they have a large social media following, rather than their credibility or education. The spreading of false information concerns me especially for the reason that was previously mentioned. This makes people feel like it's okay to start a specific health trend when it may truly cause dangers for your body. People would rather get their information from social media instead of doing research, which makes me nervous for the society that we live in today. 

    I also believe that it is really important for me to find a healthy balance for my social media and technology usage. I am a Social Media and Digital Communication major which means it is inescapable to stay away from social media and all other forms of technology. While I believe that my relationship with social media is better for work purposes, I want to try to find that healthy balance of my social media usage for my personal life as well as my future career. I do not want to spend my timr working all day on social media just to finish my work day to use it for personal reasons. Being glued to technology 24/7 is something that concerns me and is something I need to work on for the future. 

    For my friends, I do not know anyone who has an amazing relationship with their social media and technology usage. Social media at some point throughout my friend's lives made them feel sad, anxious, angry, guilty, etc. I tend to notice that it does more harm than good for society. But, for my parents, I feel like it is easier for them to stay away from social media because they did not grow up with it. For example, my mother has an Instagram and Facebook account, but she doesn't go on them often. She uses Facebook mainly to connect with old friends and family and to post pictures she enjoys. According to Gitnux, it has been stated that "over 75% of Gen X use social media, with 37% of using it daily," (Generation X Social Media Statistics). When looking over this statistic, I definitely feel like my mother fits into this category. My father, on the other hand, does not have any form of social media and he never uses technology often. If he is on his phone he is either on Google, taking an occasional photo, reading work emails, or sending text messages from his friends and family. He is content with the relationship he has with technology because he does not let it control his life, which is something I unfortunately let happen to me frequently. 

    I believe that technology can play a good and bad role in relationships that we share with other individuals. I believe that technology can be an amazing tool to use to conntect people who are far apart. Having the ability to message, call, or video chat with someone who is located in a different state or country and getting a message back instantly is a fantastic way to keep in touch with others. But, it also can have a negative impact on relationships if people live close to one another. Individuals can be so caught up with texting or using social media to contact their friends and family that they may not take the time out of their day to communicate with people face-to-face. In this sense, I believe that it can put a strain in the relationships that are close and meaningful. 

    For example, I believe that this video created by Julian West is an amazing representation of the ways technology impacts us on a daily basis. Everyone becomes so distracted with what is on their phones rather than what is right in front of them. If there ever is something so eye-catching, people tend to record it or post it on social media. Everything needs to be captured for people to believe there is value behind it. I believe this makes people not appreciate what they have right in front of them. It shows how technology is in control of our lives and no matter how hard we try, we can't put it away. 

    If you were to search up my full name on Google, you would find (in order) my LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and my Facebook account. When going a bit deeper you would find articles from High Point University, my high school, as well as obituaries from my relatives who have passed, and you may even find some public records such as my phone number and address. If I was looking at myself through an employer's point of view, it makes me feel confident knowing the first website they have access to is LinkedIn. This would help to give an employer a lot of background information about me they may not be aware of. It would not concern me if an employer were to check any social media accounts I have. I make sure to be careful of what I post online and I am confident that it is never anything that would get me in trouble or give an employer a bad image of who I am. Checking my YouTube channel, it was created soley to upload video projects required for courses I have been in this semester. These projects do not give away much information about who I am and has nothing uploaded that may cause concern. I believe I have a good image of myself represented online and I plan to keep it that way, especially as I get closer to having an internship or career, it is crucial to keep this good image that I have of myself going. While I do not like that you can find out my phone number or address online if you do a bit more digging, that is information I do not know how to get off the internet. While this is a concern I have, I know that it is common to find this information about anyone if you just looked it up. 

Each One Teach One: Reaction

    A concept that I found interesting to learn about from the other Each One Teach One presentations was about the rise of propoganda. Propaganda is the effort to manipulate other's beliefs, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols such as words, gestures, articles, and banners. Propaganda is used to influence or persuade an audience to encourage certain perceptions of people or ideas. The concept of propaganda dates all the way back to ancient times but it became more well-known during WWI and WWII. Propaganda is still used today and still has relevance in our society. 

    Propaganda was always a topic that was mentioned briefly in my high school history and sociology classes. But, I feel like taking the time to go further into depth in this presentation really helped me envision how much of an impact it truly had, especially during the war. Especially during a time where there was no technology or social media available to share mass media and news, the use of propoganda especially through posters and flyers was the best and most efficient way to share a message. 

    Propaganda can mainly be found in the news, journalism, advertising, entertainment, education, activisim, and through the government. It can be used in political campaigns, public relations, diplomatic negotiations, legal arguments, commercial advertising, and collective bargaining. One of the most popular examples of propoganda is the "We Can Do It!" poster. According to the Library of Congress, "Rosie the Riveter came to be a symbol of all women working in the war industries in World War II," (Working Women and World War II). This form of propaganda was revolutionary during its time period because it was promoting women doing men's work while they were away fighting in the war. Even though women were doing this because of the absence of men, women were finally given the opportunity to be treated equally, especially in the workforce. Even decades later, this form of propaganda still holds so much meaning and is one of the most famous forms of propoganda all throughout history. 

    Propaganda is usually targeted towards a specific group of people. This could either be at a local, national, or global level. The most relevant examples of propoganda we have seen in today's society is from the Russian and Ukrainian War. Each country has tried to change people's perception on the war and they have done this by creating stories under the impression that one country is better than the other. This can lead to sharing fabricated news stories and false information all over the news. All throughout this war, there were false claims spread by both pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists. A very popular example was Ukrainians stating that Russians threw bombs to the "Ukrainian headquarters", which caused a lot of chaos and confusion when posted on the internet for millions of people to see. This piece of information can skew the reader's views on each country participating in the war, whether the information is accurate or not. 

    However, sometimes people end up questioning the success that comes from propaganda. According to Facing History, "[propaganda] validates beliefs people already hold," (The Impact of Propaganda). People tend to believe propaganda is only successful when it focuses on topics that people already have positive views on, rather than persuading them to change their whole set of ideas. Propaganda can be known for destroying any alternative perceptions or understandings we may have created over a specific topic. There are instances where propaganda makes individuals feel like they all need to have the same views and it can be seen as wrong for having a differing opinion from everyone else. 

    Even though it can be hard to tell whether or not propaganda truly sways the opinions of U.S. citizens, propaganda can play a large role in the policies and thought processes that come from the government. The government releases powerful propaganda messages to the public as an aggressive way to articulate specific goals and strategies to receive support. Because of this, especially during the rise of propaganda usage during World War II, the government was able to recruit some of the nation's strongest artists, filmmakers, and intellectuals to their cause. 

    Even if propaganda is not demonstrated in the same ways it was in the past when it was most successful, propaganda is still being used today. This is something to always look out for especially to gain information about a war taking place. Propaganda can tie into the subject of fake news, making sure people understand that everything that is posted online is not going to be 100% accurate. Facts and opinions can be swayed to make one side look better than another. The more research I did about this topic, the more I believe I was able to learn what has been propaganda in the past and what was 100% factual. Learning all about propaganda during the Each One Teach One presentations, it helped me become more aware regarding what sources I use to get my information online as well as the author of the story. More information online is fake than what I realized and because of what I learned this will help me avoid consuming false information in the future. 

Each One Teach One: Net Neutrality

    For my Each One Teach One presentation, I focused on the topic of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is the concept of having open and equal internet for everyone regardless of the devices or platforms that are used to consume everyday media. According to Infiniwiz, "the internet is hands-down humanity's best invention. What makes it great is that all content and information is treated equally. It is the only source in the world that allows you to access any information from anywhere at any time," (Net Neutrality In Everyday Life). This means that all corporations should be treating their internet users equally and should not restrict or slow down access to some users as a way to benefit themselves personally. According to the Georgetown Public Policy Review, it has been stated that "the court of public opinion has seemingly swung in favor of net neutrality. So much that Congress- including Democrats and Republicans- is not debating whether net neutrality rules are necessary, but what form they should take," (Chin). People who are in support of net neutrality believe that the internet should be free to access especially because it is critical for the exchanging of ideas and knowledge. No matter what political party someone is, Net Neutrality is a topic that people tend to agree on, but they still need to figure out what to do about the overall situation.

    However, Net Neutrality can be seen as an issue because users are then only paying for their internet service, and not the data that they are consuming. This means that if one person is using a lot of data and someone else is not using any, they are paying the same amount of money for their internet service. Net Neutrality can also be seen as an issue because there will be less network innovation. If Net Neutrality is put into place, then it becomes a lot easier for people, especially those who are underage, to gain access to inappropriate content due to the lack of web filters. However, according to IT Pro, it is acknowledged that "providers often argue that they could block these sites at a network-wide level, removing the problem at its source," (Shepherd). So while there are things that could be done to help clear up this issue, it does not mean it can be solved instantly. 

    People also disagree with Net Neutrality because they believe it is unnecessary for technological growth and innovation, and that there are other advancements that should be created to have better technology in the United States. Also, there are millions of individuals living in the United States that pay a premium price for their internet and data access. Due to this payment, people are able to use as much data as they want, wherever they want. 

    Net Neutrality can have an impact on society as a whole because it can play a massive role in economic growth. Net Neutrality would prevent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from charging higher rates than their competitors for the same services. While this would mean that these companies may be losing money, more people may be inclined to use an Internet Service Provider if the prices were cheaper for the same service. But, companies do not want Net Neutrality to be put into place because it takes away any sort of competition that Internet Service Providers have against one another. The amount of revenue these companies have will begin to decline and some may even collapse entirely if the concept of Net Neutrality was put into action. This will also discourage new investments to come into the Internet Service Provider companies as well as a lack of motivation. If all companies provide the same cost for their services, one company cannot become better than another, which makes these companies lose the motivation they need to innovate and stand out from their competitors.

    If Net Neutrality was put into action, it should have an impact on everyone just the same. Regardless of someone's gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion. The concept of Net Neutrality was used to ensure that everyone should have access to the internet and that they would all have access to the same amount of information. While some people may not be able to afford any internet services, Net Neutrality would help to ensure that the most amount of people who want access to the internet can get it. Since the prices of accessing the internet would decrease, that means people who receive a lower income may have room in their budget to be able to purchase an internet service. While this may not work for everyone, Net Neutrality would open up the possibilities to more people gaining access to the internet than ever before.

    If Net Neutrality was put into place, this would impact me personally because I would be able to use any online resources I wanted, not just based on popularity. This means that when I am using the internet to search for something, I would be able to find resources that fit what I searched, rather than bringing me to a website that is "well-known" or "popular." This can be super important when it comes to finding resources for my academics, as I can find the best information possible when it comes to research and projects. Not only will this improve my overall grades due to the quality of information I can find, but this can also help me to better understand the topics I am learning about. 

Age of AI

    Recently, Artificial Intelligence is becoming a significant issue and I am afraid of how it will take over in the future. Artificial Intelligence has been used to recreate the faces and voices of individuals, especially those in the spotlight. You can learn more about this current issue here. Not only is this going to cause problems for music, film, and many other industries, but it is a safety concern. While social media apps and other websites have been taking private data from their users for years, adding the issue of Artificial Intelligence into the mix is very alarming. 

    Personally, I do not believe that Artificial Intelligence is beneficial to society. For example, Snapchat has released "My AI" where every Snapchat user has their own AI chatbot to communicate with. However, this is concerning because the AI will know personal details about you that you have never shared before. This can be anything such as your home address, what items you have in your room, or even your relationships with other people. If you have never given Snapchat or your phone access to this information, how was it able to know this information accurately? Therefore with all of this dangerous information I have been aware of, I stay away from AI because I do not want even more of my personal information to be exposed for the internet to gain access to. If my name is searched up on Google, along with everyone else, you would be able to find out my address, where I go to school, my social media platforms, my phone number, and tons of other information. It makes me uncomfortable to know that in one quick search of my full name you can find out so much about who I am, and Artificial Intelligence will only make more information about me accessible for the world to see. 

    According to News Nation Now, they have mentioned how "AI can appear deceptively human, and experts have warned there's a danger that artificial intelligence tools can be used to manipulate people. The ways AI can manipulate are similar to ways people manipulate others, using emotional cues and responses to shape arguments," (Whiteside). Not only can Artificial Intelligence be used to gain more of your personal information, but it is even used to manipulate humans and in a very strategic way by adding emotion into the arguments. Even though AI cannot feel emotion but can display it, this can cause major concern as AI advances and can even take over the world. 

    While Artifical Intelligence can be very harmful, there are some benefits to it. For example, Chat GPT is a platform that can help students with homework problems if they are struggling in a class. It helps to gain clarity on areas where students are struggling. Artificial Intelligence also helps to remove any system errors and provide the most accurate information possible. Artificial Intelligence can be put in charge of any tedious and repetitive tasks that humans would do throughout their career. But, through all of this, I feel like Artificial Intelligence does more harm in the world than it does good. This is because not only does AI become a tool used to gain access to so much information, but it also takes away jobs from those who need the income. If AI continues to grow and gains the access to perform new tasks, more and more individuals will lose their jobs and no longer have a stable income. 

    From the Frontline video we watched during class, I was surprised to see how many things in society are controlled by Artificial Intelligence. The video really opened my eyes and I believe I learned a lot about Artifical Intelligence. While I have heard about Artificial Intelligence previously, it was never something that was on my mind. But learning about the impact it has on society made me realize how much of a danger it truly can be. Within an instant Artificial Intelligence can create a clone of you. Everything from what you look like, to how you speak and the way your voice sounds, to even the smaller details such as how you dress and what interests you have. This also makes it incredibly easy to steal someone's identity and opens up more access to scamming. Even Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world and someone who has played a role in the growth of Artificial Intelligence is afraid of its progression. He believes that it needs to be regulated and has the fear that one day it could take over. Artificial Intelligence is a danger that I believe everyone needs to look out for. 

Innovations and the Diffusion Theory

    According to Science Direct, the Diffusion Theory impacts "the spread of an innovation through a population," (Batres and Yasuda). The Diffusion Theory determines how people in a society are going to respond and react to a certain innovation or technology. This theory shows how people become used to living with certain technologies and how they impact our lives. While some individuals may be impacted by new technological advancements or innovations almost instantly, others tend to hold off too see how it truly makes a difference in our own society. It is all up to personal preference.

     An innovation that was incredibly successful was the creation of the internet. The internet gained its popularity because it allowed more people to communicate with one another, at a faster speed as well. People were now receiving different forms of communication, as sending letters and making phone calls were used during the time of the internet's invention, emailing was not also possible thanks to the internet.

 

    Through the Diffusion Theory, an early adopter is typically someone who is open to making changes happen and are excited when it comes to technological advancements and innovations. So many people were early adopters of the internet because individuals saw this as a new and exciting way to communicate with others, read the news, and share and receive information. The internet has a lot more efficiency compared to other forms of communication. 

    With any kind of innovation, there are going to be people who are late adopters. This means they will finally join the rest of society in regards to using a certain technology or advancement after a long period of time has passed. Some people were late adopters to using the internet because they did not feel like it was necessary to use in their everyday life. Some people enjoyed the way their lifestyle was and did not feel like any changes needed to be made. Others were also skeptical about the internet and wondered if it was truly one of the best ways to communicate and retain information. However, as time passed, the internet grew immensely and has one of the biggest impacts on humans in the world. Without the internet there would be no cellphones, apps of any kind, additional forms of communication, or ways to search anything up and get the answer in an instant. With all of the technological advancements formed because of the internet, it became harder for people to stay away. The internet is used in schools, the workplace, and it became so common in our everyday lives that it was almost inevitable for everyone to start using the internet, and the late adopters finally joined everyone else. 

    As it has been mentioned that the internet has a massive impact on societies everywhere, there are still individuals who do everything in their ability to avoid using the internet and have done so successfully. There are people who are never going to be adapters of the internet because they are afraid of how the internet is going to impact them. The internet holds so much information about everything, including your identity. People do not want to create an internet presence because then it can become incredibly easy to find your name, address, contact information, political party, etc. If you do even more research, you can find information such as someone's DNA test results, which you would never expect to be uploaded for anyone in the world to see if they looked it up. Some people are not comfortable knowing they can become so accessible to the whole world if they use the internet, so they do not use it at all. Or, especially regarding the older generations, if they do not understand how to use the platforms, some might not be interesting in learning and just stay off the internet overall. Since the older generations have gone most of their lives without the internet, they may not feel like it is necessary to use it and learn how the internet works. 

    As previously mentioned, using the internet can be harmful to individuals because it is so easy to find someone's personal information that they do not want to be shared with anyone. Along with this, the internet tracks your every move. The internet looks at your browsing history, your physical location, the apps that you use, and it can even listen into your conversations. It is all extremely invasive especially with the discomforting feeling of knowing that nothing posted on the internet is gone even if you think it is deleted. 

    However, some people love to use the internet because it allows you to communicate efficiently, and even with people who live all over the world. The internet has also improved our education systems greatly as it has become an incredible tool to use in schools. Individuals can learn so much because of what the internet has to provide for us. While the internet has its positive and negative impacts, what matters most is that people learn how to use it properly and in the safest way possible.

Each One Teach One: Printing Press

    From the Each One Teach One presentations that took place in class, I thought learning about the printing press was interesting and I gained a lot of new information from that specific presentation. The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg and it was created for the reason of serving people and God. Every hour, the printing press was able to make 24,000 copies. I find it very intruiging to learn that the printing press was able to create thousands of copies each hour when this machine was invented in the 1400s. I feel that with these results, the printing press was a massive technological advancement for this time period. 

    Since one of the main reasons Gutenberg created the printing press was to serve God, thousands upon thousands of copies of the Bible were created and shared among those living in Europe (or Germany, more specifically) to help them learn all about God. While Gutenberg wanted to see the printing press come into action, especially for the reason of spreading religion to others, he, unfortunately, passed away before the printing press was put into use for the first time. Even though he was not alive to see the impact that the printing press held on society, his goal of sharing the message of God through his invention was created.

 

    However, the printing press did not just spread the message of God to those who were reading. The printing press would be used to spread news to one another and created a more knowledgable society overall. The printing press provided the citizens of Europe with so many new opportunities. While the creation of the printing press did unfortunately cause some people to lose their jobs, it also helped with the creation of new jobs as well. This meant that it was no longer necessary for papers and books to be written by hand, which would take months to complete. Even though the printing press took away those jobs for people, the printing press needed workers who could operate the machinery, create the finishing product and do the final touches, and to help distribute the books. While the printing press took away something from people, it also gave in return and helped to create a better and more efficient society. 

    

The Progressive Era

       When exploring the websites antiwar.com and The American Conservative, I noticed that a lot of the topics of discussion are not brought up as frequently in the mainstream news. I believe that these websites are not too popular in the United States because it goes against the values that the United States government holds and that it shows a poor representation of our country and what we stand for. While we do have freedom of speech and we are allowed to post whatever we like online, the government can still control the amount of exposure a website receives. 

    The government may spend time blocking websites or even removing some content to avoid any controversies. The government wants to do the best it can to give the United States a good image. If United States citizens are criticizing the country and the way it is run, this can harm the reputation of our country greatly. When American citizens are displaying that they do not like or agree with the country they are living in, this gives a negative impression to those living in other countries. 

    For example, if there is any poor communication with the United States military, the government will shut down that information instantly. The United States is against anti-war because the military is one of the things our country is known for and it also has a huge economic impact on our country. Billions of dollars are spent funding the military, so government officials are not pleased when there is backlash regarding the way the government spends its money, especially on the military overall. There are also so many Americans active in different parts of the military such as the Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, etc. that this proves we are living in a country that is pro-war and the government will do anything in its power to maintain that image.